- Tanzania has switched on the first turbine of a new hydroelectric plant set to double power generation capacity.
- The energy minister said the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant turbine would help reduce months-long power rationing.
Tanzania has switched on the first turbine of a new hydroelectric plant set to double power generation capacity. Before its completion, the project drew stiff opposition from conservationists because of its location in a U.N.-designated World Heritage Site.
Doto Biteko, energy minister and deputy prime minister, said while visiting the 2,115 megawatt (MW) Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant turbine, with a capacity of 235 MW, that it will now contribute power to the grid.
Biteko said the turbine would help reduce months-long power rationing, adding that rationing would end when the second turbine of the nine-turbine plant joins the grid next month.
Before the hydro project began in 2019, conservationists warned that building a dam on a major river that runs through the Selous Game Reserve could affect wildlife and their habitats downstream.
According to the United Nations agency UNESCO, the reserve is among the largest protected areas in Africa, harbouring one of the most significant concentrations of animals, including elephants, black rhinos, cheetahs and many habitats.
Before the first turbine of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant was connected to the grid, Tanzania had an installed generation capacity of 1,900 MW, with natural gas contributing nearly two-thirds of that amount.